It is now 9:30 and I have gotten the mash started. I hit about 140 for 15 min then brought it up to about 147 for about 20 min. I just brought it to 154. When conversion is complete I will turn the burner on so I can bring the whole kettle to about 170-180. Then I transfer into the lauter tun.

I plan on gettin the boil started between 12 and 1. depending on how long the conversion takes.

Sorry, new to me. The brew went pretty smoothly. I used my counterflow chiller for the first time and it was very effective. I yielded appx 10.5 gallons into primary @ 1.046. So I was a little under my goal of 1.049, but not enough to get worried about.

I plan a pale ale tuesday w/ comet hops. Just curious of your opinions of the comet hop variety. I was planning a comet hop only recipe.

I have only used Comet hops in this beer. I have not had enough time to get it bottled and tasted. Dec 10 is bottling day. appx Dec 24 for a good taste test.

However, I did get a feel for its properties based on the aroma, look and AA. The aroma was very similar to a Cascade hop. The Aroma was a little less floral, I expect more of a citrus character. With the higher AA than most Cascades It is going to work well for you bittering addition too. I am pretty impressed. I will update this posting after trying the beer.

It is only about 5 1/2 weeks old. It will probably get a little better yet in the next two weeks.

So far I would describe this beer as very clean, it is generally clear too. The Comet hops are very noticable in the aroma, but the flavor is kinda week. I think it will need just a hint more sweetness from the malt, and quite a bit more flavor. The bitterness is close but possibly a little too high.

The comet hops actually remind me a bit of the chinook hops, but with more fruity aroma.

This beer will need to have a tweak done to the recipe before I will post it in the recipe section.

Got my "HopComet" kegged....Very tasty- I like these hops.I too found them to be not nearly as bittering as they are supposed to be. I will rebrew using a bit more on the bittering and flavor additions.

"Bittering on the front end a little strong w/ some resins in the finish"

"A well made pale. Bitterness a bit strong, at the top end of the style. Aftertast is a little distractive, would like to see a bit cleaner than this, but still a good pale ale"

"A well brewed Pale Ale. Bitterness levels approaching Ipa levels. Cut back a bit on the bittering hops and put more emphasis on the late additions."

"A nice citrus nose. (Sounds like a skin condition-ha!)" yes the judge actually wrote that on the scoresheet.

"Lovely golden. Happy Bubbles. Great head retention."

"I'm going to mow the lawn and then have one of these."

I think I agree with the judges. The bittering was a bit too much with such a light malt back bone. I think I will eliminate half of the Cara pils, add back in a little more belgian biscuit, and then move my 60 minute addition to 30 minutes or 45 minutes.

After a few more batches I plan on moving this one over to the recipe forum.